House Of Cards
by xxxReadySteadyGoxxx
Summary: Where do the gifted orphans go?. Wammy's house. That's where Pike's headed. Life will change dramatically for her when she moves into Wammy's. Will she believe in love when she finds it? NearXOC#1 MelloXOC#2 Sorry for any OOC-ness, I try not too!
1. Chapter one: News

Here's a new story by none other than me! I was just itching to write this for the past week when I finally just said "I'll do it!" So here it is! Enjoy!

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Death Note or it's characters, only my own and the plot :)

* * *

10:34 AM, March 23, 2001

I stared blankly up at the old man standing in front of me as I sat on the floor, rubbing the fabric on the end of my sleeve with the opposite hand.

"Where?" I asked in my small voice.

"Winchester, England," he replied. He smiled down at me with one of those warm smiles that old people seem to have mastered.

"I don't know..."

"I assure you, Wammy's is a wonderful place."

I looked down at my bare feet. I was sitting on the concrete floor with one of my knees up to my chest. "How wonderful can an orphanage get?" I asked, not convinced.

"You would benefit from the classes and experiences. Wammy's is for gifted children."

I weighed my options. I didn't have much of a choice here. I stood up and twiddled with the edge of my gray night shirt, buttoning and unbuttoning the last button rapidly. "My only other option is to live here."

'Here' was an orphanage in Ukhta, Russia. It wasn't a bad place, but the heating system was broken. Now, you may or may not know this, but Russia is very cold during March. The streets and rooftops are covered with snow. I never had much of a problem with cold, hence the fact that I was wearing only my night shirt and a pair of black shorts, but it was still somewhat uncomfortable.

"Wammy's house? How is it there?"

"The building is very large. The heating and cooling systems are in perfect working order, and the children have lots of free time to do as they like. The weather is usually nice, though it's still a little cold this early in the year."

"What sort of building is it?"

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"The style?"

"It's Victorian?"

I smiled slightly. "I do like those buildings."

"What do you think?"

I twirled a chunk of my shoulder-length, black hair around my finger and gave it a soft tug. It was a little messy that morning. A small chunk was sticking up in the back of my head. At least my bangs were behaving. They covered the top half of my eyes, but didn't obstruct my vision.

"I have two conditions."

"Please continue."

"One: I want to be able to leave for the holidays. Any holiday I like, to go anywhere I want, and to take anyone I wish," I stated, holding up a finger.

"That may be worked out. With supervision, of course."

I blinked at him. "And two: On the way to England we have to stop in Munich."

The old man looked confused for a moment. "What business do you have in Germany?"

I smiled. "I'd like to visit the graves of my parents."

He smiled down at me, probably due to the fact that I was smiling first. "You don't look German."

"I'm not. I was born in England. Both my parents were English as well."

"You do have a bit of a British accent, you know."

I nodded. "So, can we stop in Munich?"

"Sure."

I smiled wider and stopped messing with my night shirt. "You can call me Pike."

"I'm Watari."

I picked up the deck of cards on the floor beside my foot. "Should I pack my things, Watari?"

He nodded. "That would be a good idea, Pike."

* * *

Well? Please review!

Yeah, I know the only person you know here is Watari, and none of the Wammy kids have come in yet, but they will! If not next chapter, the chapter afterwards. I can't be sure when Near will come in...if it'll be with the first of them or the chapter after...


	2. Chapter two: Places

Here's chapter two! I wanna send a little 'thank you' out to:

**ChildOfAnime**: for favoriting the story

**chibichibimoonstar**: for reviewing, favoriting, and putting this story on alert

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Death Note or any of it's characters, only my own characters and my plot twists.

* * *

12:07 PM

March 27, 2001

Munich, Germany

I let go of Watari's hand to put my hands up to the glass of a shop window. Inside was a huge mountain of teddy bears.

"What are the kids allowed to do at Wammy's?" I asked, Watari leaning in to hear me on the busy street.

"Classes go from 8 o'clock AM to 1 o'clock PM with a break for lunch on every day from Monday to Friday. During free time, they're allowed to roam about unrestricted areas of the house, play outside, play in the playroom, or stay in their dormitories," he answered as I slid my gloved hand back in his so that we wouldn't be separated in the crowd.

I stayed silent for a moment, unsure of what I'd want to do. I decided it would probably depend on what friends I made. Would I make friends?

"Do you know where we're going, Pike?" Watari asked, interrupting my thoughts.

I nodded. "It's not too much farther from here." I pointed in the direction we were walking. "We just go up this way and then turn on the second corner, way up there. Then we have to walk a little ways and turn again and we're there."

Yes, the cemetery was in the middle of Munich. I had no problem with it, considering how close the train station was to it. We were taking the next train out of there, anyway.

"How long has it been since you were here, anyway?"

I scratched my head for a moment before I replied. "Four years since I was here last."

Watari raised his eyebrows as we passed the first corner and kept walking straight. "You were six then?"

"Five actually. I'm nine right now. I'm not ten until November."

He nodded as we turned on the second corner. "It's nice that you can remember how to get there all this time."

"I can remember things I did when I was two, though I can't remember much about my parents," I told him. "My Mother died when I was three, and my Father the very next week."

"What sorts of things can you remember about them?" he asked, obviously unsure of how to proceed in this conversation without being rude.

"Well, I remember my Father teaching me how to build things with cards and then knocking them down with me. I remember helping my Mother clean them up afterwards." I paused as we turned the last corner I had specified earlier. "I remember my Father leaving the house to go pick some things up from the store and never coming back."

Watari was silent as we entered the cemetery. I released his hand and ran between some of the headstones, slowing when I knew I was near _them_.

I stood in front the marble blocks and squeezed the end of my coat sleeve. It really had been a while since I read the inscription on the headstones. They both said the same thing.

"I'm sorry I had to leave her alone."

It referred to me, of course. It was what they had decided to put on my Mother's headstone when they knew she was going to die. My Father told the clerk at the store that it was what he wanted as well when he was dying. He had been shot by someone trying to rob the place.

"Watari?" I called, turning around to see him facing away several headstones down the line from me. He held a phone to the side of his head.

I crept forward until I could hear his side of the conversation. Sure, I knew eavesdropping was wrong, but I was a curious child.

He nodded, agreeing with the person he spoke to. "Yes."

There was another silence on Watari's part as the other person spoke again.

"We're in Munich at the moment. She wanted to visit her parent's graves."

I stepped forward a little more and was able to hear a grumbling sound when the other spoke.

"She reminds me of you a little, actually. You and the other two at Wammy's. She seems really timid at first glance, but she's pretty determined."

The grumbling returned.

"A-are you sure? She-"

The other cut him off.

"If it's what you want. Goodbye. Try to eat something with a little less sugar, please."

Watari then hung up and whirled around, jumping slightly at the sight of me right behind him. I let out a strained laugh and scratched the back of my head, unsure of if I was in any trouble.

"Do you need something, Pike?"

"Um...no...I was just wondering what time it was," I lied.

He pulled his sleeve back and peered at the watch on his wrist. "It's 12:20 now."

I nodded to myself and turned back to the line of headstones, tilting my head to the side. "What do you suppose they'll do when all the cemeteries fill up, Watari?"

He was silent for a moment. "They'll make more cemeteries."

I ran a finger along the edge of the stone beside me. "I'm not sure I like the thought of even more sad places like this."

"You didn't seem sad to come here."

I turned around to face the man. "My Mother told me not to be sad when she died, because everyone has to sometime. This place is sad, but not just because of my parents. Does that make sense?"

Watari nodded, smiling down at me. "You seem a little wise to be just nine."

I shrugged, looking toward the gate.

"Are you ready to go wait for the train, Pike?"

I nodded, following him back towards the gate. As we passed the graves of my parents I gently ran my finger over the top of each headstone.

"I miss you both," I whispered, turning and leaving the cemetery, not knowing how long it would be until I came back.

* * *

12:23 PM

April 1, 2001

Winchester, England

"It's...big," I whispered.

Watari laughed, finding my impression of the house quite funny. "Welcome to Wammy's house."

I followed Watari into the building, stuffing the hand that wasn't carrying my suitcase in my pocket. He led me down several corridors and up several flights of stairs that I did my best to remember. It's never too early to learn your way around your new home.

He stopped at a set of large, dark, wooden doors and knocked. There was a muffled "Enter" from the other side, and Watari turned the handle.

Upon entering the room, I spotted a man sitting at a desk, probably the source of the muffled voice.

"Hello, Watari," he said.

"Hello." Watari turned to me. "Pike, this is Roger."

"Hi," I said, waving a little at Roger.

"Hello, Pike. I'm terribly sorry that I'm sending you off so quickly," he began, handing Watari some papers, "but I'd like you to be able to catch at least some of the class you will be taking before the weekend begins."

"It's fine," I replied, waving my hand in the air. "I'll manage." The truth was, I had been hoping we'd make it late enough that I wouldn't have to go to class. I never had liked it before.

"That's what I want to hear!" he beamed. "The blue paper there has the location of your dormitory and the name of your roommate. The white has your classes on it. I will have your things taken to your room while you attend the end of class."

I nodded as Watari handed me the papers. "Thank you, Roger."

He nodded. "Hurry and you'll make it before too much more time goes by."

Watari led me out of the room at that and began down the hallway.

"Watari?" I asked, taking large strides to keep up with him.

"Yes?"

"How many kids am I in a class with?"

"Well, there are only ten students not including you. Your class is one of the smaller classes, for the most advanced students. Do you remember that test you took just before I arrived in your old orphanage?"

I thought back to that test. It was considerably difficult. "Yes, I remember."

"It was to determine where we should place you academically."

"How'd I do?"

"You got into the most advanced class."

I let out a short whistle. "They told me that test was a check-up on my learning."

Watari laughed a little. "Well, now you know," he said, stopping in front of a door. "Here we are."

I peered through the door as he opened it. Inside was a room much like those I had seen as I walked down the hallways. The biggest difference, however, were the desks in the room, most occupied by students.

"Ah, our new student! I didn't think you'd arrive before class was over, but, since you're here, why not introduce yourself?" A woman, I assumed the teacher, exclaimed when she saw me and Watari in the doorway.

At that point, Watari scurried off down the hallway, throwing a "Good luck!" over his shoulder and leaving me to fend for myself.

"Come in, child! Stand up here in the front," the woman said, waving me forward.

I stepped inside the room, taking small steps to the front and stuffing both hands in my pockets.

"What's your name?" she asked when I just stood there.

"I'm Pike," I said, dimly aware of the fact that a boy with, in my opinion at least, a girly haircut near the back of the room was glaring daggers at me for some reason.

"What do you like to do, Pike?" the woman continued.

I sighed. It's not like anyone in that room was _really_ interested in what I liked to do. "I like to build houses out of cards, sing, and, I don't know, do whatever I feel like."

The teacher closed her eyes and nodded. "Well, Pike, I'm Mrs. Klergan. You can take a seat between Mello and Kimi. Right behind Matt."

I made no attempt to move from where I was standing.

"Is there a problem?"

I wanted to hit myself in the forehead from her obliviousness. "Well, I have no idea who Mello, Kimi, or Matt are."

"Oh, I'm sorry! I forgot. Mello, could you please raise your hand?"

The boy who had been glaring at me held his hand up. Well, he really just moved his arm up about an inch and flicked his wrist, but it was enough for me to know who he was.

I shuffled down the aisle until I reached the empty desk beside Mello. Just before sitting, I looked up to see the person sitting in the seat behind mine.

A boy stared back at me. He had snowy white hair and a curious look on his face.

I sat down, ignoring the annoyed glances I was getting from the Mello kid.

"Mello, you may continue," Mrs. Klergan said.

He looked back to the front and cleared his throat. "I would have been finished already if I hadn't been interrupted."

I raised an eyebrow in his direction. "You'll get over it," I said calmly.

"What was that, Pike?" Mrs. Klergan asked, having been unable to hear my quiet voice.

"I was just apologizing for disturbing him," I replied, a sly smile on my face.

"Oh, well, then we'll just get on with the lesson. I believe everyone got what Mello was saying," she continued.

Mello threw me another glare before turning back towards the front and ignoring me.

"Hey," someone to my left whispered. I turned in my seat to see the girl next to me beaming at me. "I'm Kimi."

"Hi, nice to meet you, Kimi," I said back, glancing to the front to see if Mrs. Klergan was paying attention. She wasn't.

Kimi had long brown hair that had been pulled up in a high ponytail and bright green eyes. She seemed like the optimistic type to me.

"Yeah, you too. We should hang out sometime," she suggested.

I nodded and turned back to the lesson, which I still wasn't sure of. I hadn't even been there for five minutes, so I figured I'd pick up on it eventually.

But for then all I could do was look like I was interested and count the minutes until class was out.

* * *

Thankies for reading! Please review!

If you found any errors I made, please let me know so that I may fix them. If you have any ideas for the story that you'd like to let me have...well, that'd be kewl .

Also, if you know anything about Matt (anything at all, really) I would be very grateful for that information. I know what he looks like, but I don't know his manner of speech or the things he likes. I try not to do much ooc-ness, so it would help if I knew how he acted, to better avoid that. So if you know much I'd like you to tell me! :)

xxxReadySteadyGoxxx


	3. Chapter three: Friends

Hey, all! Many sorrys for taking so long on this chapter! Been a little busy, dealt with some writers block, but here's a new chapter!

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Death Note, only my own characters and strange plot twists!

* * *

1:13 PM

April 1, 2001

Wammy's House

"And this is the cafeteria," Kimi announced. I had been following her around since class had gotten out as she showed me the building. So far we'd only seen the library and the cafeteria. "You missed lunch today, didn't you?"

"I missed lunch here. Watari got me something to eat when he figured we wouldn't make it in time," I explained.

Kimi nodded before turning and skipping to the other end of the room and out the door. I followed, with much less energy and excitement.

"You know, you got here on a good day. You barely had to sit through any class at all, and now it's the weekend. It's too bad you made Mello mad though..." Kimi sighed.

"What? Why's that so bad?" I asked, slightly afraid of the answer.

"Well, Mello's not very nice to people who make him mad. I made him mad a little while after I got here, I can't even remember what I did, and he's still mean to me."

"Well...It wasn't my fault," I murmured.

"Oh, he won't care," she replied in a very matter-of-fact tone.

I shook me head at the thought of making enemy's so quickly and followed Kimi down the hallway until she stopped in front of two, large, open double doors.

"This is the playroom," she said. "There are a bunch of toys in there."

Peeking inside, I noticed the white-haired boy that I sat in front of in class putting the pieces of a puzzle back in a box.

"Kimi!" someone shouted from down the hallway.

Turning to face the voice, we saw Roger rushing towards us.

"That's Roger," Kimi whispered, though I had already met him. "He doesn't like kids."

The reason Roger would work in a home for children when he didn't even like them escaped me. If you don't like something, shouldn't you try and work away from it?

"Why do you insist on defacing my property?!" he growled when he was close enough.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kimi replied, crossing her arms and looking away.

Roger let out a low growling sound before speaking. "Oh, I'm sure you don't," he retorted, seizing Kimi's arm.

"Wait!" Kimi yelped, yanking her arm from his grasp. "I was showing Pike around! We can't just leave her here. Let me finish and then punish me."

Roger shook his head, his eyes finally settling on the inside of the playroom. "Well, you aren't the only one who can show her around."

"What do you mean?" I asked, gently pulling my hair loser around my face protectively.

"Excuse me, Near," he called into the playroom. The white-haired boy looked up at him, his dark eyes quite blank.

"Yes," he replied. It wasn't a question, but more of a statement.

"Would you show our new arrival around?"

The white-haired boy, Near he was called, nodded slowly, standing to place the puzzle box inside a larger box.

"Thank you, Near. Now, Kimi, to my office."

"But-"

"Now!"

Kimi dropped her head in defeat before shuffling off down the hallway. "I'm sorry, Pike!" she called over her shoulder.

Near and I stood in silence for a moment as we watched them disappear around the corner.

"What all did Kimi show you?" Near asked, surprising me slightly.

"Oh, just the cafeteria and the library. Plus the playroom," I replied turning to find him standing a little too close for my comfort.

He turned without a word and started down the hallway, the opposite direction that Kimi and Roger had taken.

I sighed before trudging along after him.

"This is the music room," he announced, using that emotionless voice of his. He opened the door so I could peek in, but we didn't enter the room.

"How very...musical," I murmured. I could have sworn I saw the slightest hint of a smile play at the end of his mouth, but it was gone before I could blink.

We continued this little routine for a while, peering inside rooms while Near informed me what was inside. We didn't see many of the other children, due to the fact that most were playing outside, but the few we did see immediately began whispering to each other, or looking on with interest.

"Near?" I questioned as we made our way down a long hallway.

"Yes?" He replied, actually showing a hint of interest at what I had to say.

"Why are you wearing your pajamas? All day, I mean."

He kept looking ahead, his expression as unchanging as it'd been since the beginning. "I'm comfortable."

I nodded, staring at the back of his head. Maybe I'd do that sometime. It sounded nice.

"This is the dormitory hallway," he said, coming to a halt.

And of course, I wasn't paying attention.

I bumped into him, falling over backwards (how did I manage _that_?) and making him stumble forward a little.

He turned around to face me, sprawled on my back staring at the high ceiling with discontent.

To my greatest surprise, he began to laugh. It was a quiet, controlled sort of laugh, but it was so uncharacteristic that I began to wonder if he'd been putting on some sort of act before.

"Sorry," I mumbled, sitting up and finger-combing my hair for a moment.

He waved the thought away, reaching a hand down to help me up, also a little strange.

I brushed myself off as we started down the hallway.

"Near?" I asked as we rounded a corner.

"Yes?"

"Will you be my friend?" I asked, fingering my sleeve again and smiling at him. My favorite little nervous habit by now.

"Yes."

* * *

2:13 AM

April 2, 2001

Wammy's House

I yawned and scratched the back of my head. I was sitting cross-legged on the foot of my bed, facing my pillow. Across the room, my roommate slept soundly.

Linda was her name. I had been introduced to her just a few hours earlier. I could already tell that she wouldn't be one of my good friends. She was too reluctant to talk to me, and there was just something about her that part of me didn't quite agree with.

Maybe I should explain why I was awake at that hour while the rest of the orphanage slept.

I'm an insomniac.

I don't sleep much at all, and when I do I sometimes drift off at random points during the day. When I do sleep, however, I sleep _hard_.

Luckily, my body doesn't seem to need as much sleep as others do.

I slid silently off my bed and crept into the hallway, still in my pajamas.

I has learned a lot that day, or rather the previous day, seeing as how it was two or so in the morning. I knew where most everything was, thanks to Near, and Kimi took the liberty of showing me where the most "important" peoples rooms were. I could only remember a few of them at that point.

Mine; because it's really smart to know where your room is.

Kimi's; because she was my friend.

Mello's; because I was supposed to avoid him in order to maintain my semi-good health.

And Roger's; because I didn't want to wake him at night.

There had been more than that, but I couldn't remember them all.

So maybe it was a good thing that I decided to ignore Kimi's words of warning against Mello. She had told me to hurry past his door if I ever had to go that way.

Well, I certainly didn't _have_ to walk down that part of the hall, and I certainly didn't walk _quickly_.

Linda's and my room marked the end of the girl's rooms. Mello's and his roommate's room marked the beginning of the boy's rooms.

In fact, I can't tell you exactly what compelled me to meander down the boy's part of the hall at all, but I can tell you that I'm glad I did.

As I shuffled by the door, I noticed a faint glow bathing the walls inside in a strange blue color. There was a faint mumbling as someone spoke, ending abruptly as I stepped past.

I got a few feet farther down the hall before one of the room's inhabitants called out to me.

"Hey!" Mello whisper-shouted. I turned back to face him, minutely surprised to see no hint of the glare he had given me earlier on his face as he stuck his head out the door. He waved me over and disappeared back into his room.

Hesitating a moment (partly from the fear of Mello Kimi had tried to instill in me and partly because of my own confusion), I dragged my feet back to the doorway and stood, staring through the relative darkness.

It was, essentially, just like all the other rooms. There were two beds accompanied by their own dressers on opposite sides of the room and two windows, each at the head of the beds. Between the beds, in the center of the door, was a couch, facing away from the door, and me. On the wall that held the door there were two desks, each with it's own chair.

The differences, however, were hard to overlook. On the wall that the couch was facing stood a television, the source of the eerie glow in the room, surrounded by more gaming systems than I knew existed. On one of the desks were all the games for those systems. The other desk was rather tidy, accompanied by a trash din, overflowing with candy wrappers, their metallic sheen glittering from the glow of the little digital people darting across the TV screen.

"Are you just going to stand there? Come in," Mello commanded from his seat on his bed.

I shuffled forward until I stood beside the couch, noticing a rectangular object sticking out of Mello's mouth. Even in the darkness I could tell it was chocolate.

It was then that I noticed a boy sitting on the couch, engrossed in his game. The glow made his hair look like a combination of browns and blues, though I knew it was really red, as I remembered him from earlier.

"I'm Mello," Mello announced, drawing my attention back to him. "That's Matt."

"I'm Pike," I responded, fiddling with my sleeve again, a nervous habit I had picked up in the previous weeks.

I glanced back at Matt. I wasn't sure if he realized I was in the room. He hardly blinked as his fingers flew over his plastic controller, playing a game I didn't recognize.

"What're you doing awake?" Mello asked, once again pulling me from my thoughts.

"I'm insomniac," I replied, glancing at him. He cocked his head to the side and peered at me, chewing on his chocolate bar contemplatively.

"So you never sleep?"

I shook my head. "I still sleep. I just don't sleep as often."

He nodded as if he had known that all along. "Don't you get bored?"

I nodded vigorously, closing my eyes for a moment. "I get bored all the time. Everyone's asleep at night, and I can't turn a light on to do something without being sent to bed, so mostly I just have to sit there."

He looked over at Matt, who was still quite unresponsive. "You can come in here and play Matt's video games if you want. Hey, Matt."

"Whaaa?" Matt muttered, not moving his eyes from the screen for a second.

"You heard that right?"

"Yeaaah."

Mello looked back at me again. "There you go. Something to do at night."

I nodded, smiling. "Thank you."

Suddenly, the formerly blue glow in the room turned red, and there was a loud thud as Matt dropped his controller.

"I lost? Damn...That's never happened before! I always beat him!" He complained, turning to face Mello as he spoke, consequently facing me as well. "Wait...Who are you?"

Mello let out a long, frustrated sigh. I just stood there, feeling a little awkward.

"Matt, she's been in here for the past _two hours_!" Mello exclaimed. I snickered. It was a lie, seeing as how I'd only been there for a minute or two.

"Whoa...Seriously!?" Matt's eyes went wide inside the orange goggles he was wearing.

"No, you idiot!" Mello shouted, throwing the remaining piece of his chocolate bar, nailing Matt in the forehead.

I giggled at the look on his face as he fumbled for the power switch on his game. "I'm going to bed," he grumbled.

"Well I think I'm going to go wander around for a while. See if I remember where anything is," I announced, turning to walk out of the room.

"See you tomorrow, Pike," Mello called.

Matt waited until I was out of the room before speaking. "Oh, so her name's Pike then? Ouch!" he yelped.

I guessed that Mello had found something else to throw at him.

* * *

Many thanks for reading this! Please Reveiw! I love you all!

I'm sorry for the delays, I truly am, but things have been a little hectic over here. I'll try to be a bit faster on these, but I'm going to only work on each of these stroys one at a time now, until I get writer's block and have to move to the next one.

Sorry again!


	4. Chapter four: Sleep

Hey, all! Sorry for taking so long to get this one out, but I've been a little busy lately! And this one's a little short, but that's because I found a place to end the chapter a little early, sorry!

I'd like to thank **insomniac22 **for being the best person in the world. No seriously, he helped me a bunch on Pike's insomnia, so now I can feel more sure that I got the symtoms correct. Thanks a billion!!

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Death Note, no matter how much I wish I did. I only own my characters and my little plot twists.

* * *

11:30 AM

April 2, 2001

Whammy's house

Choosing a place to sit was troublesome. Especially in my exhausted state of mind.

I stood with my tray beside the counter, covered with food. It was the first time I had eaten at Whammy's, seeing as how I had opted not to partake in the previous night's dinner or that morning's breakfast.

So I was quite relieved, and somewhat surprised, when Mello came up behind me and grabbed my arm, pulling me toward a table where Matt already sat.

"Hey," he hesitated for a moment before remembering my name, "Pike."

"Hi, Matt," I replied, my memory already showing signs of being better than his, even when I was tired beyond reason. "Mello?"

Mello turned his attention to me. He had seated me beside him, across the table from Matt.

"Is that all you're going to eat?" I queried, indicating the bar of chocolate hanging from his mouth.

"Yeah. Problem?"

"No. Just wondering," I said, examining the macaroni noodle I had speared with my fork before turning my hungry gaze back to Mello, who kept staring at me. "What?"

"Would you like some?" he asked, a strange look on his face that seemed totally out of place. But heck, I hadn't slept in about four and a half days so I was ready to pass out. There's just something about moving to a new place that keeps me awake even more than usual.

"Um, sure," I yawned out, taking the chunk he had broken off the end for me.

I was sure Matt's eyes were about to fall out of their sockets. He began mumbling, but the only things I could catch were "Mello", "never", and "Chocolate".

Lunch continued, though I honestly barely made it through, as I was about to go into a coma. I'm not sure when, but I was eventually jostled out of my seat by a very annoyed Mello and dragged to class by my arm, Matt giving me these apologetic glances and mouthing "sorry" at me every once in a while.

I remember being slid into my seat after dragging my feet into the classroom before I wiped.

* * *

General POV

Pike didn't even make it through two minutes of class before Mrs. Klergan noticed her head was on the desk.

"Is Pike asleep?" she asked, cocking her head to the side and waving her pointer in circles.

Mello stood from his seat, leaning over Pike to check. "Yeah, she's out. Should I wake her up?"

"No!" Mrs. Klergan jumped. "Don't wake her! Never wake her! No matter what! She needs her sleep. Could you take her to her room, though?"

"What if she wakes up when I touch her?" he demanded, tapping one foot and staring at the teacher angrily.

"Roger assures me that she's a very heavy sleeper, but she only sleeps every few days, so she needs to sleep."

Mello gave Pike's sleeping form an annoyed look before glaring back up to the front of the room. "Why do I have to do it?"

"Because _you're_ the one I asked. Plus, you get out of class for a while."

Mello grumbled, pulling on Pike's arm to bring her up to her feet, though still quite unconscious.

'Good thing she's not very heavy,' Mello thought, as he was able to wrap his arms around her waist and lift her without much trouble. 'I'd like to see _Near_ do this!'

"It's the last room on the girl's side of the hallway."

Mello shuffled out of the classroom, holding Pike up off the floor. He could have held her at eye level and her feet would have been half a foot off the floor, anyway.

"Dumb girl," he mumbled, walking slowly down the hallway in order to miss as much class as possible. "She just had to fall asleep."

"Mello," she whispered back.

"Oh, don't tell me you're actually awake," growled, stopping beside the staircase.

She let out a little sigh. "Don't throw things at Matt. He didn't mean to shoot the elephant."

"Whatever," Mello mumbled, taking the steps way slower than necessarily required.

Just as he entered Pike and Linda's room she tightened her arms around Mello's neck, clutching the back of his shirt.

"No!" she gasped. "Don't!"

Mello took a chance. "Don't what?"

"Don't!"

"Don't what!?"

"They're my friends! Stop!"

"I'm confused," Mello groaned, wishing she'd let go and shut up so he could leave. He considered waking her but remembered what Mrs. Klergan had said.

"You can't kill them..."

"Kill?"

Pike was quiet for a second before she continued. "I'll be alone. Alone again...again...no..."

"When were you alone before?"

"I don't want to be alone again. Please don't hurt them. Please."

"Who's being hurt?"

"My friends! My friends!"

"What are your friends names?" Mello asked, unsure of what to do."

"Matt, Near, and...Mello."

* * *

So, please reveiw! It'd be muchly awesome!

Peace.


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